Why Do People Clap at the End of a Performance?
Audiences applaud or clap at the conclusion of a performance to express praise. Although applause has become conventional at the end of all performances, particularly loud or sustained clapping is considered to be high praise. The history of the use of sound to express appreciation goes back for centuries, with different cultures having prevailing traditions around applause. The root word for “applause” is applaudere, a Latin word meaning to strike or clap. During Roman times, a mild expression of pleasure might be limited to snapping the fingers or patting the hand. An enthusiastic response to a performance would involve full blown clapping, striking the palms of the hands together repeatedly to generate a loud noise. In general, clapping is very rapid and arrhythmic, except in cases where an audience may clap to beat time with a musical performer, as is the case at some folk concerts.
